Part of the newly developed Nova campus in Victoria, the N3 building is currently under construction and is part a collection of mixed-use buildings situated in central London. We are working alongside Landsec, Lynch Architects and MUF to develop soft landscape proposals. We focused on ensuring that the soft landscape contributes positively to improving air quality, urban cooling, increasing biodiversity and quality of life for residents including opportunities for foraging and food growing on rooftops.
Client and Contract Period
Landsec
2024-Ongoing
Project Objectives
To create a soft landscape plan for the development of the site where sustainability, climate change and urban warming have been factored into the technical design. Nova 3 will be the last building to be constructed in the Nova masterplan, and will feature public realm planting and green, brown and blue roofs to increase biodiversity, capture rainfall and help reduce the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect that is often associated with buildings and hard surfaces in urban spaces.
The focus of the scheme is on supporting bird and bat species and invertebrates. Microhabitats and microtopography are created in the roof spaces using various materials including crushed rock, species rich seeding and deadwood. The scheme also includes hedges at the roof level to provide a sense of enclosure, reduce wind exposure and introduce berrying plants for foraging. Rainwater capture for irrigation is explored, with plant species selected to be drought tolerant. The three floors within the project are designed according to their own and surroundings’ characteristics.
Issues, Challenges, and Outcomes
With Nova 3 being focused on sustainable construction and use, delivering the green and blue infrastructure in a sustainable way was essential for the project. This includes using native plant species, improving air quality, using sustainable materials in construction, which all in turn contribute to urban cooling by mitigating the UHI effect. With Westminster seeing huge transformation through development, it is important to not only ensure that all new buildings are constructed sustainably but that they plan ahead for the inevitable changes that climate change will bring. The scheme aims to maximise the biodiversity value at street level and of the roofs by developing green, blue, and brown roofs. Appropriate native or resilient planting as part of the design will aid in efforts to facilitate urban cooling and improve air quality of the surrounding space.
Services
- Soft landscape design
- Spatial Coordination
- Technical Design
